The extent of food poverty in Clydesdale is becoming increasingly apparent to food bank organisers.

The Clydesdale Food Bank have already helped close to 100 people in need, since its launch in March.

They are now preparing to move into dedicated headquarters in Carluke this Saturday, and satellite distribution centres have been set up Lanark, Forth, Carstairs Junction, Biggar and Douglas.

Unemployment, benefit cuts and the rising cost of living, have led to a huge increase in demand for food bank services, with an estimated 500,000 people using them across the UK.

Liz Barthram, who is involved with the Clydesdale Food Bank, says she is glad to be doing something to help tackle this terrible poverty, but wishes she did not have to.

Liz, from Carluke said: “We are horrified that there is this need and we need to respond to it. Our great hope and prayer is that within a fairly short time, this need will disappear and we will no longer be needed. But that may take longer than we would like in the present economic climate.”

All different types of people have accessed the Clydesdale Food Bank since it opened.

Users must be referred to the service, either by the social work department, Womens Aid, housing associations or local clergy.

Liz said: “The clergy are quite an important one, because they are often able to identify people, or are in contact with people, before they get to social work.

“We have had families, were maybe both parents have been in work, and one of them has become unemployed, and the other one has a very low wage.

“Or there may have been an adult or a child who has come back into the family home. Sometimes having an extra family member to deal with in the house, is enough to stretch the food budget to breaking point.”

As a collective, the food bank volunteers do not campaign on food poverty at a political level, but a number of individuals are getting involved in campaigns to put pressure on politicians.

The food bank was started by the Church of Scotland parish group in Carluke.

They carried out a mission audit of Carluke in 2010, asking what people wanted from their churches and the issue of food poverty was raised on a number of occasions.

The parish grouping then linked up with New Beginnings, which is a charity that provides furniture, food, hygiene products and cleaning products for homeless people, when they get the chance to move into a property of their own.

The Clydesdale Food Bank headquarters will be officially opened on Saturday by Provost Eileen Logan and there will be displays of the types of goods that go into the food packets.

The food bank will be based at Unit 4, Hamilton Industrial Street, Carluke, and will also house the New Beginnings furniture initiative.

They are grateful for any donations of dried or tinned food, which can be dropped off at the unit on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10am and 1pm.